TOLEDO, Ohio — Just one month into summer, Ohio State Highway Patrol is reporting a sharp increase in serious and fatal crashes, especially in Lucas County, where fatal collisions have jumped from one at this time last year to seven in 2025.
Lt. Rustun Schack with the Ohio State Highway Patrol said the uptick is concerning and has prompted troopers to intensify focus on three key risk factors: impaired driving, distracted driving and failure to wear seat belts.
“It’s a little bit more steep than we like to see,” Schack said. “So, we’re going to put a focus on impaired driving, distracted driving and seat belt usage. Usually, those three are the common issues we see.”…